


underground

by adoluvr



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Comfort No Hurt, Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Love Confessions, M/M, gettin sick together: the fic, soft amagi rinne...holy fuck, travelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:20:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29056566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adoluvr/pseuds/adoluvr
Summary: And maybe, this is it. Maybe this is the perfect moment. Maybe, because Rinne catches onto it, too. They’re knee deep in the snow on top of the hill behind their hotel at 5 AM and the dawn’s just about to break and they’re gonna have to wake up Niki and Kohaku in a few hours so they can make way back to their dorms, and maybe that is why. Maybe that’s why this is the perfect moment.There’s not going to be a playback button. There’s no reruns. It’s going to be an imperfect memory, but it’s going to be perfect in its own little way.alternatively: rinne has to say something. its minus seven degrees. himeru is cold.
Relationships: Amagi Rinne/HiMERU
Comments: 16
Kudos: 33





	underground

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in a whim last night in the car back home from a 3-day vacation to the snowy mountains and felt like a rabid dog about it for the next few hours. goodmorning its 9 am. this may be ooc (again)

HiMERU pulls his scarf up and over his nose. It's cold. He's wearing three layers and a jacket more, but his hands do not feel warm even if he pushes them in to the furthest in his pockets. 

Rinne doesn't feel it. It's either that, or he's too far gone in burying himself half-deep in the snow to rapidly move his limbs in a botched attempt to make a snow angel. He's laughing boisterously, and the tips of his ears and his nose and his cheeks are flushed red, so maybe it's the latter. Maybe. If HiMERU feels himself go red at this, he does not pay any more notice to it than necessary.

"Amagi," he says, obviously tired and obviously cold and obviously about to possibly commit murder. "HiMERU would like to go back."

"So soon?!" It's been three hours. HiMERU's been counting the time go by. "Hey, hey, Merumeru, ya know nothin' about some good ol' fun."

"HiMERU is better at taking care of himself, unlike some people." 

Rinne pouts. It's one of those puppy-like pouts that comes as a package deal with puppy-like eyes and a puppy-like demeanour that HiMERU absolutely hates (likes) and simultaneously can't get enough of.

The blue-haired idol sighs. He pulls the scarf around the half of his face tighter.

-

"See, Merumeru? Fun, ain't it?"

HiMERU is halfway through an impeccable snow angel. He sneezes.

-

Arashi takes the thermometer out of HiMERU's mouth and studies it. "A hundred and two," she frowns. "Wow, HiMERU-chan, how'd you get so sick?" 

HiMERU stares into the distance (the ceiling) for a few minutes. He pulls the covers onto his face and then turns his back on her without a word.

-

Having Arashi and Tetora as roommates has its pros and cons. The pros include the fact that they're both wonderful people, actively caring and considerate of the concept of personal space, and gifted HiMERU a houseplant the moment he stepped in their shared dorm for the first time. HiMERU keeps that houseplant next to his bed. Also, they're very lenient towards having Rinne over. The cons include the fact that they're very lenient (keen) towards having Rinne over. 

Rinne isn't very likable. Whether this is a HiMERU-boyfriend privilege or Rinne-threat privilege - no one can tell. Probably will never be able to tell. But HIMERU wakes up the next morning to see his red-haired leader watering his precious houseplant and his roommates not to be found. And he almost leaps out of bed with the first weapon he sees (the ball-pen on the table next to his bed) in order to attack (shoo) him away. But he doesn't. He stays in bed and he feels his headache coming all over again and he closes his eyes all over again and pretends like nothing is real.

He hears footsteps, and then a dip on his bed. 

HiMERU does not want to speak. But then Rinne bends down to press a small kiss against HiMERU's warm forehead and the latter thinks that Fuck. Maybe he can spare it just this onc- 

"Merumeru, did I ever tell ya how _sexy_ ya are when yer tryna ignore m-"

Quietly, HiMERU reaches for the pillow behind his head.

-

HiMERU gets better during the weekend, and it's a one-way excuse for Rinne to grab him by the arm and drag him out, again. 

This time, he pushes him straight inside a small van, where Niki and Kohaku are already present. Kohaku, for whatever reason, is on the driver's seat.

"What?" He says, unprompted yet very much so at the way HiMERU stares at him for a second. "Jus' cause I'm some sorta kid in yer eyes don't mean I dunno how to drive."

HIMERU does not know how to drive, so he does not exactly have much to say. This is also because Rinne's pushing him towards the back seats and then flopping down next to him and yelling at Niki to put on a good song. Niki briefly looks at the playlist in the phone Rinne's handed him, and decides, as Kohaku puts the van into drive, that Rinne does not know good music.

-

Niki tries to ignore the Very Obvious noises of Rinne trying to coerce HiMERU into making out with him in the back seat. 

-

Niki tries to ignore the Very Obvious noises of them making out.

-

Niki's had enough.

-

"HiMERU-kun?!" Niki yells. "Weren't you on Rinne-kun's face about public decency?!"

HiMERU is physically on Rinne's face right now. On one hand, he appreciates this reminder. On the other: "Amagi is persistent."

-

Niki puts on one of Rinne's awful songs just to block them out.

-

HiMERU is, yet again, faced by a field of snow.

"HiMERU will not make snow angels again, Amagi."

Rinne pouts. HIMERU kneels down to pick up a piece of snow that looks oddly like a snow-covered rock and throws it at him.

-

It was a snow-covered rock. Niki and Kohaku clap from behind HiMERU kneeling down with concern for a yelling Rinne on the ground with the fervour of people that are more pleased with this development of events than anyone should ever be. But that's CRAZY:B.

-

They end up staying at a hotel that isn't too shabby nor too expensive and has the perfect hill behind it for early morning hiking before they have to inevitably go back to the dorms. This is their one free weekend after a while - this sort of drive was more necessary than anything.

Kohaku rents out a single large room.

Rinne protests against this, but the sakura-haired assassin gives the leader one of his sakura-haired assassin looks and the red-haired man is immediately made to shut up. He starts whining to HIMERU, who pats him like he's some sort of attention-deprived stray dog and then relents to nothing more.

Kohaku thinks over this. And then he rents another.

-

Rinne takes over the bed as soon as he sees it. HiMERU sits down on it gingerly before being pulled towards the pillows by a strong pair of hands and a suggestive grin plastered onto his boyfriend's face as he does so. 

"No," HiMERU says. 

Rinne pou-.

-

They end up sharing the bed, anyways. Kohaku and Niki have gone out to get (possibly hunt) something for dinner, leaving Rinne limbs tied with HiMERU, which is usually an indicator for something extremely distressful to happen in the future.

But Rinne is quiet. He's staring at HiMERU in his golden eyes and he has one hand up HiMERU's soft blue locks and his legs are crossed with his under the covers. They're close. It's not unfamiliar, obviously. 

It's also not unfamiliar, the way HiMERU watches Rinne close the distance, if only for a minute. His lips are chapped - possibly because of the cold, but they're warm and welcome against his own. Opening his mouth a little at Rinne's insistent probing, he feels himself get a little lost in the kiss before the red-haired man moves away suddenly.

It's unlike Rinne. He's panting under his breath even if it's just been a minute and his blue eyes seem to glow neon in the otherwise dark room, and HiMERU feels his arms snake around his waist and pull him in, as if for more. 

There's no more. Rinne buries his face in his chest, and HiMERU breathes him in.

"Amagi," he says. "Is everything alright?"

Rinne usually takes what he can get. He takes whatever he wants and he takes everything to its limit and there's nothing familiar about him ignoring the pretense of the alone time their unit-mates have given them to use it all up just to cuddle. 

"Nothin's up," he mumbles against his neck. "This is nice, ain't it?"

It is. It obviously is. HiMERU puts his own arms around Rinne and drags him in as close as they can get as a response.

-

Niki blinks. Kohaku peeks over his shoulder at the doorway. The air-freshener in their hands proves useless.

-

HiMERU wakes up at five. The dawn breaks when he steps out of the little hotel, bundled up in his sweaters and jacket and scarf and boots. It's cold. The snow under him is soft.

Kohaku joins him a few minutes later, the crunch of snow under his own boots making the other turn his face to him.

"Hey, HiMERU-han," he says, obviously still tired and rubbing his eyes. He leans and nuzzles against the older man's body like a cat, HiMERU moving to pet the boy's head. "Why are ya up so early?"

"HiMERU couldn't sleep," the other says - mumbles, mostly. "Oukawa does not have to worry."

"Oukawa's gotta," Kohaku insists. "Yer the only sane person in this god-awful unit."

HiMERU suppresses a smile. "HiMERU could say the same."

Kohaku laughs.

-

Rinne and Niki wake up a while later. They both take their respective showers and take their respective time before stumbling outside and into the minus 7 degrees weather and the snow at their feet and the awaiting half of their unit with backpacks slung around their shoulders at the foot of the hill.

-

"Shiina, do not pick at the poisonous mushrooms," HiMERU says, like he's not linking arms with the most poisonous creature known to mankind (Amagi Rinne). 

Niki frowns. He's crouched down to stare at a bundle of grass that has heroically made its way out of the snow and into the minus 7 degrees air. He turns to HiMERU with concern.

"The snow's too deep for mushrooms to grow, HiMERU-kun."

HiMERU pretends to not hear this, despite Rinne's mocking cackling at the back.

-

It's too cold to start a fire.

-

HiMERU is cold.

-

"I'm cold," Niki complains, and inwardly HiMERU feels like he's nodding rapidly at the rate of a cheetah running. "It's too cold, we should head back, Rinne-kun."

Rinne seems to ponder this. HiMERU takes one look at Niki and then at Rinne and thinks he's already predicted where this is going. There's an unbearable tension in the minus 7 degrees air. Kohaku is poking at a frozen tree with some stick.

"No," Rinne says, just to torment Niki. "We gotta get to the top, Niki! We ain't _CRAZY:B_ if we don't have the balls t'do somethin' as babyish as this!"

"Babies don't climb snowy mountains!" Niki complains, again. "Honestly, Rinne-kun, you have a pretty skewed view of kids. I hope you and HiMERU-kun don't plan to have a-" Niki stops abruptly, and pauses, and then coughs. 

HiMERU has visibly gone beet red. In any other case, the flush on his cheeks would make him look unbearably adorable against the white of the snow. In this case, Rinne's also frozen up. He forgets to comment on this.

Niki sends one last, pleading look towards Kohaku, who's staring back at him with an unreadable expression. And then he tumbles off the cliff.

-

It's an awkward night.

-

HiMERU wakes up at somewhere around four, this time. They're supposed to be heading back to the dorms, today. Kohaku is not awake with him, today.

-

HiMERU is turning on the radiator in the room. It's cold. There's a soft noise of shuffling and he turns his back to see Rinne sitting up from his spot on the bed, trying to open his eyes.

"Mornin', Merumeru~"

"Morning, Amagi." 

There isn't anything much to say. He succeeds in turning on the radiator and then he grabs a book and shuffles back into the covers. There's enough light outside already, and Rinne lays back down to pull the covers over his eyes for good measure. And then he shuffles in a next to HiMERU and presses himself against his body and…

It's warm. HiMERU relaxes.

-

"Merumeru," he says. It's not been thirty minutes.

"Yes?" HiMERU replies. 

The blue-haired idol turns to look at his partner, who is biting his lip. Placing in his bookmark and setting the book aside, he moves to wrap his arms around his boyfriend and pull him against his body. 

"What's wrong, Amagi?"

Rinne hums. He's uncharacteristically quiet and uncharacteristically lenient and uncharacteristically affectionate. He's always been affectionate, yes, and it's always involved lips and teeth and tongues and bruises. Maybe it's because it's cold and maybe it's because the minus seven degrees has finally done something to Rinne's brain. But HiMERU does not dislike it.

"Nothin', just-" Rinne pauses. He looks up at HiMERU and then pushes his arms out of the warmth to cup his cheeks. And stare. And stare. And-

"What?" 

HiMERU presses him on. Rinne seems to shift his entire attention somewhere else at this question, mouth opening and closing. His usual fiery, blue eyes are condensed down to something more nervous, more anxious than they should be. It's a little startling and it makes HiMERU a little anxious as well and maybe this becomes The reason: he leans in, the palms of his hands never leaving Rinne's cheeks, places his forehead against his, and stills.

"HiMERU likes you, Amagi."

Rinne seems to automatically crumble underneath him. "I know," comes his weak voice, which makes the other man frown all the more. "Ya can call me selfish," he continues. "But I don' wanna like ya like that, Merumeru."

HiMERU does not say a word. There's a small, building feeling of his heart preparing to take a dive off a headboard five hundred meters in the sky in a pool full of sand and his hands don't seem to move but then Rinne moves to press a small, chaste kiss to his lips like he never usually does and HIMERU thinks that Maybe this is some sort of trap. Maybe an excuse for a blackma-

"I don't wanna _love_ HiMERU, ya get it?" And HiMERU's short-circuiting brain narrows down on the _love_ like some sort of fiend - "I wanna love _ya."_

"Love," HiMERU repeats, because he really does not (can not) focus on anything else.

And suddenly Rinne's cheeks flush into the color of his hair and he pushes his boyfriend's hands off of his face and dives into the covers, out of his sight, like it's going to kill him if he sees. Possibly. Maybe. 

"You...want to love Kaname." 

He doesn't word it like it's some sort of big revelation or anything. It's something that's been gnawing at him at the back of his head for a while but seeing it come to fruition is another thing, entirely. Another sort of feeling, entirely. A new type of gnawing but this time the voice at the back of his head is physically running after him and he's out of breath, already. 

"Yeah." And somehow, Rinne sounds like he does not want to sound so sure of himself, either. He's 21 and he's gone through things like this but this is different. This is different, entirely. HiMERU knows this. "I don' wanna stick around tryna go after some sorta personality dilemma, _got that?"_ He emphasises, like he hasn't just insulted HiMERU's entire being. "I wanna love _ya,_ and I wanna take _yer_ name when I tell ya that, and I-"

"Amagi," HiMERU interrupts. 

"What?" Rinne says, trying his best to sound composed when it's obvious how bad he's reeling. Maybe he shouldn't have opened his mouth. Maybe he could've let it stew for a bit longer. He's 21 and this is not the first ti-

"You can take my name." And HiMERU has visibly gone pink, too. And it's not like he hasn't, before. It's not like he doesn't know.

Rinne stares. 

-

They're sitting on the edge of the bed and HiMERU's been trying to compose himself for the past five minutes while his leader has a hand up and on his mouth to control his sheer need to laugh like a banshee and just spiral out of existence. 

"What? This is your fault. Stop laughing, Amagi."

Rinne isn't laughing. Not yet. But the grin on his face is impeccably wide and child-like and the flush of his cheeks against the white snow outside of the window is a pretty contrast and honestly, HiMERU thinks he's going to combust before they even get to it.

Rinne comes closer to hold his cheeks like HiMERU had done before, presses his forehead against his like HiMERU has done before.

"Yer okay with this?"

"Yeah." It's already somewhat of a start when the blue-haired man drops his forced formal speech. Maybe that's what riles Rinne up more, who's already started to press small, slow kisses against the other's face, stopping just at the edge of his mouth before he pulls away and _stares._

Stares. Looks. As if he's taking him in for the first time after fifty years and it's honestly just a bit jarring because Rinne is not one for subtle tender moments like this. He's never been one for subtle romantic moments like this. HiMERU melts, just a little. As a treat.

"Can I..?"

HiMERU takes a breath. Like this is going to kill him, probably. It might. 

"Yeah."

Rinne exhales. He's just about to open his mouth before a giggle escapes him again, and HiMERU swats him.

-

Maybe HiMERU shouldn't have initiated a play-fight in the middle of something like this.

-

He looks at his neck with distaste, before tugging his shirt up, trying to see if it would hide well. But it's also winter, and he's bound to be wearing a shit ton of layers anyways, so it shouldn't matter. But.

"Amagi. You're going to pay for my makeup."

Rinne licks his lips and grins down at him. "Sure."

-

There's no fluttering feeling left for HiMERU to feel like this means anything. Which it does. It means a whole fucking lot. Rinne is stupid and Rinne's a little too horny at all times, but this is okay. It'll be okay. 

-

When they finally (finally) settle down, it feels natural. Like it was natural to fight and be awkward and laugh into each other’s faces and be annoyed and feel like you’re going to wipe out someone’s existence entirely before sitting down and finally being faced by the inevitable.

Rinne still has his glow. It’s the same glow that had made HiMERU relent to him in the first place - whether it concerned joining Crazy:B or whether it concerned feeling something for him or whether it concerned going to lengths he’s gone for him. It’s _there_ and it always will be, especially so when Rinne’s finally pulling him on his lap and brushing his lips against his nose for the slightest second before he pulls away to look at him. Look. 

Look.

“Get on with it,” HiMERU insists. It’s uncharacteristic of him to be this persistent. But he has his own thoughts on the matter and his own anxieties on the matter because primarily, on the basis of it, it concerns _not_ HiMERU, but _him._ Him, in the deepest sense possible. Him. 

HiMERU is good at predicting Rinne’s actions. This - he’s not. 

“I’m doin’ it at my own pace, Merumeru,” and somehow that nickname isn’t exactly appealing, anymore. “I jus’ wanna take in the moment.”

“You never take in the moment.”

Rinne scoffs. “Yer thinkin’ skewed shit about me all the time, aren’t ya?”

“By default.”

Rinne blinks. “Ah, that ain’t good. Especially after today.”

It’s 4 AM.

“Right. Get on with it.”

-

It’s physically impossible for anything to happen. Rinne takes HiMERU’s hand in his. And they run.

-

Breathless exhales turning into a sheet of white, HiMERU clutches his knees. It’s cold. As hell. Rinne’s thrown his arms up into the minus eight degrees air, and he’s laughing. Because there’s nothing else to do. 

HiMERU looks at him with an unreadable expression. But a grin breaks out on his face, too.

-

“Feelin’ like a princess, yet?” Because they’re both sitting on their knees on the soft snow and not even the minus eight degrees cold can get to them, anymore. 

“Unfortunately,” HiMERU says, maybe just to entertain him.

Rinne’s smile is something that’s probably plastered onto his features for the rest of time. It does not go away, no matter what happens. HiMERU does not know whether or not he should be thankful for something like that.

And maybe, this is it. Maybe this is the perfect moment. Maybe, because Rinne catches onto it, too. They’re knee deep in the snow on top of the hill behind their hotel at 5 AM and the dawn’s just about to break and they’re gonna have to wake up Niki and Kohaku in a few hours so they can make way back to their dorms, and maybe that is why. Maybe that’s why this is the perfect moment.

There’s not going to be a playback button. There’s no reruns. It’s going to be an imperfect memory, but it’s going to be perfect in its own little way.

“Hey,” Rinne murmurs, inching close to HiMERU.

“Hey,” HiMERU replies.

“I’m in love with ya, Toujou Kaname.”

HiMERU breathes, and it feels like the first time in a while that he can breathe as good as this.

“Hi-” He stops, abruptly. Looks down at his hands, turning blue. Looks back up at Rinne, fiery red. Places his hands in his, feels the warmth seep down into his bones,

“I love you, too, Amagi Rinne.”

-

If Rinne cries a little, they don’t tell anyone about it.

-

They check out at 12. Kohaku takes up the driver’s seat, again. This time, HiMERU has nothing to say.

-

Rinne sneezes.

-

“Narukami-san, Nagumo-san, I’m back.”

Arashi clasps her hands together excitedly as soon as HiMERU enters the dorm room, walking towards him with a big smile on her face. “HiMERU-chan! Did your trip go well?”

HiMERU nods. He looks past her to see Tetora lying on his back on his bed, which is scattered with makeup products, putting his arm up to weakly wave at him. HiMERU waves back, with a frown, before turning to Arashi again. “Testing something, again?”

Arashi beams as she nods, pulling out her phone to show HiMERU a look she’d seen before her eyes catch a hint of red, and she looks behind her dorm-mate to see Amagi Rinne lying down on the floor.

She looks back at HiMERU. “Did you kill him?”

HiMERU nods.

-

“Karma,” HiMERU says, when Rinne wakes up in his bed and gets startled by the big houseplant right next to him as soon as he does. He stares at the plant for a good minute before turning to stare at HiMERU for a good minute.

“Karma? The hell ya talkin’ about?”

“Please,” HiMERU says, like he’s on gossip girl and not in his dorms a few hours before they have to head down to discuss a live job at some promotional center. “HiMERU has not forgotten how you’d made him sick because of your own selfish whims, Amagi.”

“I wish he’d forget,” Rinne says, looking up at HiMERU like he’s not on gossip girl. “No point in keepin’ shitty memories like tha-”

“Shut up,” HiMERU says, fondly.

-

It’s quiet. But it’s not bordering on 3 or 5 AM and it’s not minus eight degrees when HiMERU feels a soft knock at his door. Arashi and Tetora have already gone to sleep - the only reason he’s awake is because of the after-live nerves thrumming in his body. Getting out of bed, he shakes his arms for a few seconds before going to the door.

Rinne’s looking back at him with a sort of invitation in his eyes HiMERU would normally be too tired (yet still forced) to test. But this time, he takes the hand offered out to him without a second thought.

-

The night sky is….dark. There’s no way around explaining it in the sort of poetry anyone else would feel forced to do with.

Rinne’s arms are on the railing, and he’s looking up at the moon in a way that no one would expect Amagi Rinne of all people to do. But maybe they’re right, when they say he’s a different person around HiMERU. Maybe. 

Maybe they’re right, because the Amagi Rinne of now takes his hands in a way the Amagi Rinne of years ago would not dream of, and maybe they’re right because HiMERU would not let the Amagi Rinne of years ago brush his lips against his as he does now, either. 

HiMERU smiles against his lips. Rinne just drags him closer against his chest.

-

Niki pulls out his wallet. It’s cold.

Hot coffee from last night warmed from the microwave isn’t exactly a good way to start the morning. There isn’t a truckload of options on his way to the grocery store, and so he has to relent. Sighing, Niki turns to leave his apartment when he hears a thud against his door.

Niki startles. And then runs into his kitchen to grab his butcher knife.

Walking to his door slowly, he looks out of the peephole with fear. 

HiMERU and Rinne are crouching at his door, holding each other in a way that would normally suggest that they've just returned from war. Niki sighs.

-

"A hundred and one," Niki announces. Looks at the other thermometer, does the same. "Wow, how'd this happen?"

"Mitosis," Rinne says, even though he does not know the meaning of mitosis. HIMERU nods. They're not about to tell Niki about an adventurous night out running in the cold, again. 

"You guys never learn," Niki says, sounding a little distressed. The two in question refuse to meet his eyes any longer.

-

"That made things seem official n' shit, didn't it?" 

"What?"

"Gettin' sick together, in the end."

HiMERU sighs. Of course he'd take some sort of symbolism in being sick together. "Sure."

"Nana," Rinne says, and HiMERU whips his head around to stare. 

"Nana?" HiMERU repeats. 

"Dont'cha think we need a new-"

"No." 

"Merumeru," Rinne says. He's teasing. Teasing. Relentlessly teasing and being smug about it. "I love ya, Merumeru."

HiMERU nearly malfunctions. Fuck. He _does_ have the ability to fire back, though.

"I love you _more_ , Amagi." He says this with the sort of straight face anyone in their right mind would interpret as Not Being Honest, even if he _is_ , but getting to see Rinne get flustered in under a second and then turn his back on his boyfriend just to keep a hold on himself is worth it. Yes.

  
  
  


Maybe he'll use this as a weapon. Maybe.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> rinne's playlist is just WAP 7 times over


End file.
